The Adaptive Unconscious, Free Will and Morality

Course2013-2014

Admission requirements

This course is open to third year bachelor students from other departments with a strong philosophical interest disclosed by previously concluded courses and/or written papers.
Toehoorders / à la carte-studenten hebben alleen toegang tot deze cursus met toestemming van de docent.

Description

Behavioural, cognitive and neuroscientists discuss the nature and existence of free will, in some cases to declare it non-existent. Philosophers have also discussed free will for centuries and are still divided over the right interpretation of the concept. Hence the question arises what it is these scientist investigate and discuss? Do they side with a specific philosophical interpretation or do they fail to grasp that there are different concepts to choose from?

This course (1) examines the scientific findings thought to be relevant to free will (with a focus on those that can be subsumed under the heading of the adaptive unconscious/dual process theory; (2) examines some of the crucial essays from the contemporary philosophical discussion; and (3) discusses the free will and related issues at the intersection of philosophy and scientific research.

Course objectives

Course objectives will be posted on Blackboard by the start of the course